Mcdonald’s Qatar Bags Second Place in 6th Saleh Hamad AlMana Basketball Tournament

Press release

Published August 20th, 2017 - 10:14 GMT

McDonald’s Team

The annual Saleh Al Hamad AlMana Basketball tournament organised by the AlMana Group always seems to deliver thrills during the final hours of the match. This year too witnessed the same frenzy as the 6th edition concluded. This annual friendly basketball competition for employees from all business divisions of the company was recently held at Arab International School's Basketball court. The team of McDonald’s Qatar played impressively, securing the second place in this season. This was made possible with the leadership of the coaches - Mr. Rafael David, Mr. Nishad Jayasinghe and Mr. Ramon Abdon and McDonald’s team players boundless moves and will power.

This year, the six teams that competed for the weekly matches, included Team McDonald’s, The One, GO Sports, AlMana Fashion, Casper & Gambini and Nissan. They were applauded by their families and friends as they competed for the coveted titles and prizes.

Speaking on this occasion, Fadi Rezek, General Manager at AlMana Restaurants & Food Co. – McDonald's Qatar said: “The initiative is part of the organization’s commitment towards nurturing a healthy work environment and knowing the importance of team building in refining understanding, cooperation and the overall quality of work and success for everyone. It created a bond between co-workers as they support, cheer and work together that lifts each one’s morale and spirit."

During the weekly tournaments, employees of each division flocked to the venue at Arab International School and cheered for their respective teams. The AlMana Group basketball series is part of internal human resources strategy that aims to promote healthy and strong ties amongst its personnel across the entire Group.

Background Information

McDonald’s

In 1917, 15-year-old Ray Kroc lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver, but the war ended before he completed his training. He then worked as a piano player, a paper cup salesman and a Multimixer salesman.

In 1954, he visited a restaurant in San Bernardino, California that had purchased several Multimixers. There he found a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was stunned by the effectiveness of their operation. They produced a limited menu, concentrating on just a few items – burgers, fries and beverages – which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service.

They were looking for a new franchising agent and Kroc saw an opportunity. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system. By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger